268 What Birds Have Done With Me 



water in this world has such a sparkle or can come 

 near to quenching all thirst as that from the Muir 

 deep well that his childish hands chiseled from 

 the rock at the family home near Pardeeville, 

 Wisconsin. And from the same associations, a 

 Loon on "Fountain Lake" becomes one of the 

 sweet singers in Israel. What a calamity to have 

 lived and have passed out of life without know- 

 ing and feeling real kinship with two such splendid 

 unspoiled men. Only yesterday, I was introduced 

 to a gentleman, whose home is in California and 

 whose income tax this year will have to be ex- 

 pressed by at least six numerals. Wanting to 

 take his measure, I asked: "What do you know 

 of John Muir?" The name was shrouded by a 

 certain mist and at first I had a feeling that he 

 was trying to run it down in "Bradstreet" so I 

 added, "He was something of a nature-lover." 

 Then the light dawned, "Oh! yes, I know about 

 him, we have a Prune named after him." Mr. 

 Croesus you poor beggar. 



Long before the war, long before it had en- 

 tered into the heart of Woodrow Wilson, to con- 

 ceive of his magnificent project of a League of 

 Nations, William Butcher had conceived of a 

 magnificent project of a Nature League, uniting 

 sportsmen, plume-wearers and all real Nature- 

 Lovers in a great Audubon League, for the pro- 

 tection of our vanishing wild life. I would insti- 



